Everything Changes
by Papercanvas
Summary: My first Hey Arnold fanfic, been watching a lot of it as of late, and been working on several chapters. Arnold and Helga drifted apart after The Jungle Movie, with Helga thinking he would be happier without her in his life. Junior year starts, and with it an unexpected turn of events, reuniting them, as Arnold strives to help his childhood friend from her dire circumstances.
1. Hey Arnold - Everything Changes

A nippy morning breeze caused scarlet leaves piled on the curb to flicker and fly, swirling up past the stoops and brick houses on the street. The street was alive with buses and cars, gusting exhaust into the faces of the kids walking along the sidewalks on either side. At one bus stop, a group of teenagers filed into a line as a dirty yellow school bus groaned to a halt in front of them. Rustling in faded coats and windbreakers, the teens loudly talked among themselves, laughing, shouting, and cursing. One duo in particular was waiting patiently as they boarded the bus.  
Phoebe and Helga had gotten in line early, and while Phoebe was smiling in anticipation of starting junior year at Hillwood High, Helga was softly scowling and lost in thought.

Nervous, yes, irritable, also yes. Helga checked off each emotion in her head as it became more and more obvious to herself. She knew why her stomach was in knots, but she was hesitant to discuss it with Phoebe, who was preoccupied with thumbing through her newly bought textbooks. A feeling of jealousy hit her, and she wished she could be as genuinely happy about heading back to school like Phoebe was. Over the years, ever since the day Arnold had saved their neighborhood, the time they went San Lorenzo and he found his parents and saved the entire class, Helga had begun to change. She had let slip her love and obsession with him, right to his face, and at least to her, she was not convinced that he had never liked her more than a friend. Her confidence in herself slowly waned with each year, and instead of taking out her anger on her classmates, her fury slowly turned to sadness, realizing her negativity was making her neither happy nor popular. Helga became more withdrawn, dealing with her assumed rejection by Arnold by engaging in solitary activities.  
And while she still sought Phoebe's friendship, she rarely interacted with their old middle school gang, and even more rarely talked to Arnold. She'd still pine after him, but refused to let herself obsess over him on a near constant basis, deeming it a waste of energy. Any time she had encountered him, she made sure it was brief, and even when he initiated harmless conversation, she always pretended as if she had some excuse to leave. The mental pain that came with being reminded of her situation every time she saw him was overwhelming, and her first instinct was to run away from it, as far as possible.

And her home situation had gone nothing but downhill. Helga's mother Miriam had become more dependent on prescription painkillers, and her dad Bob was always away at work selling the latest expensive gadgets and pretty much ignoring her unless she had some use to him. He had turned to drinking almost every night, and his anger would come out each night as well, whether it was at himself, Miriam, or her. She tried to stay out of his way, but more than once, she had gotten caught in the full force of his temper, with disastrous consequences.

Of course, shrines to her perfect sister, Olga, were still plastered all over the house. Olga only visited at holidays, but she always managed to steal any attention Helga could garner from her parents. For the most part, she felt abandoned.  
To try and cope with what seemed like constant dark thoughts, Helga turned to her poetry and even started drawing to distract her from depressive thoughts. She changed her look, foregoing her signature pigtails and pink ensemble that in grade school was used to pretend she was something she was not in front of her peers. Most of her outfits involved her favorite band t-shirts and plain jeans, and Helga had adopted an old beanie hat that had seemed to fit her like it had always been hers. She let her blond hair hang down, and left her bangs in front of her eyes. The bangs were now long and fringed, and she liked how she felt like she could hide and sink into her own little world. Helga had started sketching things during class the last couple of years, and with her hair blocking her peripheral vision, she was able to become enveloped in her work, which was a tremendous stress reliever. At home she would spend her hours drawing after her homework was done, filling up numerous drawing had also tried painting, but because it was a little more expensive, she started selling various things she had in order to pay for supplies.  
Even the most unusual and treasured artifact from her childhood, her altar to Arnold, had been stripped bare, and in clouded, anger filled rampage, she had taken the entire thing and thrown it into the garbage after all the valuables from it were gone. That night, she had vowed to eliminate Arnold from her life and got rid of everything that had ever made her think of him. For her, this would be for the better somehow. A darkened spot and random items strewn about were all that was left in the back of the closet now.

As all the anxiety of what the first day of sophomore year would bring bubbled up in Helga's mind, she took out her drawing pad and a graphite pencil and began sketching . Sharp, craggy edges emerged, and she suddenly grasped the outline of a mountain range. Wispy lines echoed over darkned ones, giving the sketch a supernatural appearance. Lost in the ghostly mountains she created, she missed Phoebe admiring it from her seat.

"Wow Helga, that is quite amazing, you've become very talented. Will you be taking an art class this year?" Phoebe inquired in a friendly tone. Helga slowly took the pencil off the pad. "Huh? Oh, oh yeah, thanks Pheebs. Yeah I have one with Mr. Nikowski." Her question woke her out of the drawing trance, and she shyly smiled.

"That's wonderful Helga." Phoebe replied, smiling back. Her head then swung around to the front as the bus lurched forward to a stop. Helga followed her gaze and caught the sight of the highschool out the windows. As Phoebe's face glowed with excitement, Helga's brow furrowed in worry, and she stared down at her knees. Panic rose in her chest as the other kids on the bus began chatting loudly in anticipation of their departure, and she closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing.

Ok, c'mon Helga, you can do this, it's school, it's nothing you haven't done before. Well, sort of, she thought to herself. And then she caught a familiar pair of hairdo's walking past the bus windows.  
A tall afro and springy tufts of blonde bounced across the windowpane. "Oh God, just kill me now." She groaned, and thrust her head back into the seat with despair.


	2. Hey Arnold - EC - New School Year

***Note:** Been a while since I've uploaded stories here, EC stands for Everything Changes, which is the title of the whole story, and the titles of the chapters are after that, I kinda got confused since I've written most of chapters at like 2am. This also explains most of the grammatical and spelling errors.*

* * *

Helga strayed behind the crowd of kids making their way up the steps into Hillwood High, and she let Phoebe catch up with Gerald, Arnold, and the rest of the crew from middle school. Alone, she felt her stomach flipping, and hurried to find her locker assignment as quick as she could before first period started.

"Man, that summer went way too fast. " Gerald complained as he slammed his locker shut.

Arnold and Phoebe huddled around him as they gathered their books and shot the breeze.

"Yeah, but it was pretty fun. That money we made at the carnival was pretty handy, maybe we could find part-time jobs and save up for something really cool." Arnold remarked in his usual optimistic manner.

The friends began chatting about their summer adventures, laughing and smiling. They started walking away from the lockers when Phoebe moved her head sideways, her smile fading to a distressed look. Gerald kept talking, but Arnold saw her expression, and looked behind them. He turned just in time to see Helga further down the hallway, glancing at them from behind her locker door that she was still holding with her hand, her eyes peeking out of her hair. As soon as she saw them her locker door slammed shut, and she circled around, ambling down the opposite end of the hallway at a fast pace.

"Was that... Helga?" Arnold blurted out in a confused voice, his eyes wide.

"Yeah..." Phoebe said quietly, still looking in Helga's direction.

"Helga? Helga G. Pataki?" Gerald exclaimed, and spun around to see who Arnold and Phoebe were staring at.

"God, I don't think I've really seen her in...years." Arnold said in a low tone, grabbing the back of his neck in an awkward  
manner. The first bell rang finally rang out, so the group walked towards their first period classes, in a suddenly empty hallway.

Helga was not in any of Arnold's morning classes, which went on with the usual introductions and syllabuses being passed out with little fanfare. Getting bored in his Biology class, Arnold became anxious about the earlier sudden sighting of Helga. She almost seemed unrecognizable. Dressed in a black shirt, jeans, and a grey woolen beanie, her blonde was hair now incredibly long, and fluffy bangs hung out of the front. Helga had looked incredibly worried, and when the group noticed her in the hallway she fled, not giving him a chance to do anything.

Out of all the instances he could remember during the last couple of years, Arnold realized that she had gotten quieter and quieter, barely speaking to him, and was always in a hurry it seemed. Some years he never saw her at all. This was a complete turnaround from the Helga he knew back in middle school, and throughout his younger years.

Always picking on him, the insults, the scowling, the spit balls; she was a fireball compared to most girls back then. It certainly made him and everyone else take notice. How could anyone forget Helga G. Pataki? It was like her purpose to make sure everyone knew who she was.

Now it felt like he had almost forgotten about her, along with the memories they had shared together when they were young. Arnold twinged with guilt. How he had forgotten about her over the years was a shocking wake up call. He was her friend, at least, that's what he thought he considered himself. Friends don't desert each other when they go through hard times.

Lunch time finally came, and Arnold went through the cafeteria line at a snail's pace, greeting his old friends Stinky, Sid, and Eugene, who was already clad in a neck brace from some previous accident earlier that week. They chatted for a while, then he left the line and found Gerald and Phoebe already engaged in a flirty conversation at one of the smaller tables. Gerald winked at Phoebe, which caused to her giggle as Arnold sat down across from them.

"Uh...hey guys." Arnold looked down at his tray, a little embarrassed at catching his friends ogling each other.

"Hi Arnold, how did your first classes go?" Phoebe piped up.

"They were ok. Nothing special. You guys didn't see Helga in any of yours, did you?" He asked in a somber voice.

Both Gerald and Phoebe first looked at each other and then at Arnold with concerned eyes.

"Nope, sorry man. You know what's funny, I was talking to Stinky and he thought he heard some crazy story where she went to live as a hermit in the Himalayas. And Sid thought she up and died. Can you believe that?" Gerald said with a nervous chuckle.

Arnold just stared down at his tray agin, a cringe on his face.

Phoebe spoke up. "Arnold, to be honest, I don't know her schedule, but she seems to prefer being alone quite a bit. I'm supposed to meet her after school to discuss any homework assignments we both might have gotten today. If you'd like, you could stop by, or we could all meet for coffee somewhere perhaps, if you're intent on...catching up with her." She tried to sound helpful, and she clutched Gerald's hand under the table for reassurance.

Arnold glanced up to look a them both. "Thanks Phoebe, if it's not too much trouble. I just want to...you know, make sure she's ok. I...I kind of feel bad, y'know. Like, what's been going on with her? I just need to know." He replied glumly.

At hearing this, Phoebe squeezed Gerald's hand with such alarm that he shot her a confused look, which only made Phoebe sigh in a hopeless way.

"Well..." Phoebe trailed off. "Life's been kind of hard on her, and I guess she just isn't able to manage her problems in a normal way, I suppose."

The three friends sat in silence for a while, finishing their lunches. As they all got up to leave, Gerald walked over to Arnold as Phoebe went to retrieve her backpack.

"Arnold..."Gerald half-whispered as he leaned in while they were striding towards the cafeteria exit.

"Why are you so obsessed with finding Helga now? I mean c'mon man, it's Helga G. Pataki, she made you miserable for years! She's out of your life now, why are you trying to bring her back in it?"

Arnold reached again for the back of his neck, looking a bit flustered. He had thought about Helga throughout the day, and all the while, a few specific memories really became etched into his head. His face became warm as they came to mind.

"Gerald, I was thinking about it, and I mean, she wasn't really ever that bad. And in reality, she's actually done some really nice things for us. Doesn't it bother you that she's really the only person we never talk to or see anymore? To the point where Sid even thought she died? How did she go from Helga G. Pataki to nobody?" he said in a cross voice.

Gerald raised his eyebrows at him in skepticism. "Where was I when she did all these "good things? And why are you suddenly interested NOW?"

Arnold scowled. "Never mind that, that's not the point. The point is I know she's a good person, despite the way she used to act, and now I'm just...worried about her I guess, something could be wrong. I feel sort of like we're supposed to be responsible for our friends if something happens, and I just want to make sure she's ok, that's all."

Gerald shook his head and replied. "Alright man, whatever you say. Just don't come crying to me if you get your butt whooped, I know you can't resist bein' the nice guy."


	3. Hey Arnold - EC - Study Session

After his last class let out, Arnold met Gerald back at his locker. They discussed the history class they shared together, with Arnold pointing out that his teacher Mrs. Siskoff was not amused by Gerald walking late into class with his usual suave style. Gerald just laughed.

"Man, she's just a tightwad, I was only 3 or four minutes late, it's the first day of school. It's like a rule or something. She knew someone was going to be late today, it just happend to be me." He said with a sly grin.

Arnold chuckled. Suddenly,Gerald's phone went off, and he checked to see that he had gotten a text from Phoebe.

"So, are you still...going to head over to Phoebe's to try and, you know, see Helga?" Gerald looked down at his phone and then back up at Arnold, his eyebrows crinkled.

Arnold's smile faded and he leaned against the row of blue lockers.

"Yeah..." His voiced trailed off into a shrug. "I mean, I just want to see what's up with her. That's all. "

"Alright buddy. Well, l got practice till late, let me know how it goes, and uh...good luck." Gerald patted his hand on Arnold's shoulder and walked past him towards the exit doors. Arnold closed his eyes and let out a discouraged sigh, then pulled himself off the lockers and walked out of the school.

* * *

"Helga...Heeelga..." Phoebe's voice quietly drifted in the air.

Sitting up with a start, Helga looked up from her notebook and caught Phoebe staring at her, a large book perched in her lap as she sat crosslegged on the floor a few feet in front of her.

"Whoops, sorry Pheebs." Helga gave a sheepish sideways glance. She realized that she had been furiously drawing shapes into the margins of her science homework. Looking harder, to her dismay, those shapes she had been carving into the paper were all oblongs and crescents. Even just as shapes, she recognized them instantly.

"It's alright Helga, I was just wondering, did you want anything to drink perhaps? I was going to get some lemonade for us in the kitchen."

"Um, sure, that sounds good right about now. Thanks Phoebe." Helga replied timidly.

With that, Phoebe got up and walked out her bedroom door, leaving Helga alone with her doodles.

Helga stared at the drawings that had been tormenting her. Their not so subtle appearance to a certain football-headed individual made her stomach twist in knots, and she knew that seeing Arnold in the hallway had sunk into her mind. The doodles frustrated her, as she had been hoping to avoid Arnold again so that she could prevent the start of another year longing after him with no hope of returned feelings.

"I don't need him. I don't. I'm fine. Stop it old girl, get your head on straight." Finally she groaned."Gah! Why can't this just go away..."

Out of the blue, Phoebe's door bell rang, and she heard the petite girl scamper from the kitchen down the hall to the front entrance. She could hear a quiet conversation, but couldn't distinguish the other voice or the words they were saying. Helga scooted closer to the door and leaned in towards the threshhold, but didn't dare peek her head out. Now she was curious.

"Helga! Oh Heeelga! Change of plans!" Phoebe called out in her sing-song voice.

"What's up Pheebs?" Helga rose up off the floor and grasped the edge of the door, poking half her body out into the hallway.

Standing out in the sunlight of the open door stood Phoebe, and then lo and behold, there was Arnold.  
His sense of fashion hadn't changed. Wearing his unbuttoned red plaid shirt with a faded blue tee underneath, he had on some old jeans, and lastly, his ever-present blue hat was perched perfectly on the middle of his blonde head.  
Arnold gave a small smile as he and Phoebe both turned their heads to look at her. Helga's eyes widened in horror, and she gulped as she took a step back. Straining, she gained control of herself and put her best nonchalant face on, staring down at the floorboards and crossing her arms.

"Oh, hey Arnoldo." She stated without enthusiasm.

"Arnold wanted to know if we'd like to go get some smoothies with him. What do you say Helga?" Phoebe offered with a hopeful grin.

"Um...Phoebe don't we have studying to do? I...I know you hate to fall behind on the first day..." Helga stammered as she nervously rubbed her right arm.

"Oh I don't think one little smoothie is going to hurt our study session." Phoebe chuckled.

"C'mon Helga...my treat." Arnold spoke up, his eyes pleading.

Arnold's voice struck Helga like an arrow, and she immediately froze up, the expression on her face turned sickly.

Why is he doing this to me, why did it have to be him? Helga complained inside her head.

I've left him alone for this long, why does he have to go and ruin it? She struggled to breath, growing more anxious of the silence that permeated the hallway.

She finally exhaled, and with a growl said "Fine football, head, but like you said, YOU'RE buying, bucko."

Arnold perked his head up and he flashed an excited smile.

Sauntering down the sidewalk towards Slaussen's, the trio walked side by side, with Phoebe in the middle and Helga and Arnold on her right and left. Phoebe was busy explaining to Arnold the differences between animal and plant cellular structures that he was studying in Biology, while Helga was lost in her own head. Occasionally she stole glances at Arnold, but had no idea that he was doing the same thing.

I wonder why she's so quiet now? This just doesn't seem normal...Arnold thought to himself. He nodded while pretending to listen to Phoebe on her science speech. Glancing over at Helga again, he saw that she had her hands in her pockets and a dazed expression on her face. Knowing interrupting Phoebe would be rude, he let her keep talking until they went inside the ice cream parlour, and they sat down at the old style swivel stools that lined the counter.

"So guys, what do you want?" Arnold turned to the girls, trying to keep up a cheerful demeanor.

"I'll take a strawberry banana smoothie please." Replied Phoebe.

"Helga?" Arnold asked.

Helga was quietly staring in concentration at the blackboard menu. Phoebe turned to her with a concerned look.

"Um...um...a chocolate one, whipped cream,nuts, the whole deal." She finally answered in one quick breath.

"Sure thing Helga." Arnold's face lit up. At least she was talking to him a little.

Phoebe let out a sigh of relief. "Excuse me, but I need to use the girl's room, be back in a bit!" She jumped off the stool and skipped to the bathroom in the back of the store, leaving Helga and Arnold alone at the counter. Helga watched with panic as her friend left the room. She cringed and her eyes darted around the store, avoiding Arnold's gaze. He slowly began tapping the counter his fingers, then let out a tense sigh.

"So, Helga...how have you...been?" He asked in a shaky tone.

"Good. I've been good." Her voice was devoid of emotion, and she hunched over the counter, her arms crossed and her eyes squinted in frustration.

"Any good classes this year?" Arnold was now leaning across the counter ever so slightly.

"Nope." She glanced over at him in time to see the look of confusion on his face.

"I mean, well, they're all kind of crap, except one."

"What's that?" Arnold asked as the expression on his face changed back to normal.

"Art."

"Wow, really?" Arnold's voice sounded honestly surprised. "I never figured you for an artist Helga."

"Well, now you know, Football Head."

An uncomfortable pause sat between the two teens as the conversation ended abruptly. Arnold rubbed his arm and Helga sunk lower to the counter, both unsure of what to do.

"So...wow...I don't think I've had an actual conversation with you in years." Arnold finally gave in.

Helga's eyes grew huge, but she didn't say anything.

"Is...um...well...are you...is everything ok?" He finally got the words out.

Helga looked away from him nervously. " Yeah yeah, I'm fine Arnoldo." She uttered, and couldn't help but bristle with anger at the question.  
Arnold was taken aback by the sudden sharpness in her voice, he was used to her irritable nature all these years, but he still wasn't expecting it now.

Fed up, he decided to just confront her directly since she was being so stubborn.

"Helga, you don't sound fine. Why don't you talk to anyone anymore?"

"Why do you care?!" She shouted with her head held in her hands, gaining the attention of the whole shop.

Arnold looked at her helplessly, and at this moment Phoebe finally came back out of the bathroom to a room full of customers staring at the two at the counter. Neither of their smoothies were touched.

"Oh dear. Is everything alright?" Phoebe was alarmed.

"Fine Phoebe, we need to go, I don't feel so hot." Helga hopped off the stool and marched towards the door.

Phoebe turned to look at Arnold, who had a guilt-stricken expression on.

"Um, ok then." Phoebe replied.

Arnold solemnly followed them out the door, and the three walked back down the sidewalk, and this time the tension caused Phoebe to fall silent all the way back to her house.


	4. Hey Arnold -EC -Unexpected Stops

As the trio arrived in front of Phoebe's house, Helga stood off to the side of the stoop while still staring down at the sidewalk. Phoebe finished her random conversation with Arnold about Darwin's Origin of Species when she faced Helga and gently prodded her out of her daydreaming.

"Helga? Aren't you coming in?"

Helga looked up."Oh um, sorry Phoebe, I think I'm just gonna head home, I'll pick up my books and stuff tomorrow. See ya at the bus stop in the morning." She smiled weakly, and wheeled around, then started walking down the pavement.

As she got further down the street, Phoebe glanced at Arnold.

"I'm so sorry Arnold, but she seems to act distant like this all the time now. I'm not entirely sure I understand why." She said woefully.

Arnold looked up at her on the stoop.

"Not entirely sure?" He asked.

"Well, I have a theory." Phoebe remarked, and Arnold leaned against the side of the stoop to listen.

"I believe that throughout the years she has begun to realize that her bullying of our classmates has caused them to ostracize her, and it gave her a damaging reputation. This may cause her to be ashamed and feel the need to withdraw socially for fear of rejection if she attempts to reconcile with them and apologize for past acts of aggression."

Arnold gave her a semi-annoyed look. "English, Phoebe."

"She's depressed because she feels bad about the way she's treated people throughout school and may think there's no hope of anyone liking her enough to want to be friends with her again. So she's staying away from everyone because she thinks no one wants her around."

"I..." He caught himself as he almost said outloud what he was thinking.

"Well, that's definitely not good...I mean...not everyone really thinks that way about her, do they?"

"Oh dear..."Phoebe said with a wince. "It might be possible that not everyone at school dislikes her, but unfortunately it seems that the majority of our classmates don't remember her in a positive light, so to speak, and the probability of them wanting her friendship now is...low." She concluded.

Arnold let out a deep sigh.

"But the positive side is, Arnold, that she has me and you, and...Gerald will eventually get used to her again, it'll just take some time."

* * *

Arnold walked home as the sun began to set, his mind wandering. He thought about Helga's defensive attitude that day and how it made sense that it was just a charade, and that maybe inside, she was incredibly lonely and insecure. Perhaps throughout grade school and middle school, she took her anger out on the other kids and himself because she wasn't happy with her life. Then again, he thought, he wasn't sure what her life was like. He knew she hated her sister Olga, who was a really nice person from what he had seen, and he guessed that she was probably jealous of her accomplishments. Her parents had always seemed kind of clueless, and so her home life probably wasn't the best.

Summing it all up, he figured all these years her anger and lashing out was her way of dealing with these unresolved issues. The only thing was, Arnold wondered if there was more he had missed.

As he pondered he had stopped walking, and looked up to see where he was. His eyes grew large in bewilderment.

"How did I get here?" He asked aloud, scratching his head.

He was a few feet from a row of houses, and on one mailbox hung the word 'Pataki' in brass letters. Striding up closer, he peeked through one of the windows. Inside, he could see Helga's dad, Big Bob, stretched out on a recliner, watching t.v and shoving food into his mouth with one hand and yelling into a phone on the other. Her mother was on the couch, seeming to be asleep. An empty glass and an open pill bottle sat on the table next to her.

Arnold sighed and muttered under his breath. "This isn't weird, I'm not being weird, I am not a stalker, I am not a stalker, I am not a stalker...I shouldn't be here."

Still curious, he looked around the alley at the side of the house, but there wasn't anything except a brick wall. Then something caught his attention above him. Caked in rust, he saw an old fire escape.

Waaaait wait wait, he scolded himself. No. I don't spy on people. This is Helga's house for Pete's sake. A, she'd kill me, and B, it's just wrong. Just, wrong.

Arnold shook his head. But then another train of thought struck him.

Yeah, but you wanted to know what was going on with her, didn't you? Her parents are downstairs, but what is she doing? Does she not talk to them? Is she just up there by herself? If she's not hanging out with Phoebe, what does she do the rest of the day? He kept asking himself questions in an attempt to justify climbing the fire escape.

It can't be healthy to be all cooped up in your room all day, he badgered himself.

Alright, just check on her. We're just checking on her, that's all. He nodded as if to agree with himself.

Carefully, he made his way up the metal structure, which conveniently had a landing a foot across from a lone window at the top of the building.

Hanging half his torso over the railing, he tried to peer inside. He could see a small bed already made up, a few dressers, and books and clothing strewn across the floor. But the room was empty, and Helga was nowhere to be found.

"Huh..." Arnold checked over the room, and then decided to keep climbing up. He wasn't sure if he'd find anything at the top, but it couldn't hurt.

Reaching the top landing, he quietly stepped onto the roof. Nothing stood out to him besides the trap door that probably led to the inside of the house. Reaching the edge of the roof that faced the street, he rested his hands on the concrete barrier lining the border.

Arnold's view of the city from the top of Helga's house was breathtaking. He could see the whole neighborhood, and the bridges leading out of town. The city seemed fairly peaceful, and a light breeze ruffled his hair.

"Well, so much for that..." Arnold mumbled to himself in a melancholy voice. He had been hoping to just to see a glimpse of her, so he could at least tell if she was safe at home.

He headed back down the fire escape, careful to take his time as the old metal squeaked under his weight.

Another breeze swept back down and now chilled him as he trudged back down the sidewalk. A few blocks ahead, a bus pulled up to it's stop and a line passengers spilled out onto the pavement. Arnold slowed down his pace to avoid getting stuck in the sea of people.

Then a familiar slouching body in a long tan trenchcoat and blonde hair caught his eye.

He froze when he saw Helga, and sensing an opportunity, he fell a little more behind the crowd and kept his gaze on her. As the group slowly dispersed around them, he mirrored her movement down the street. He tried to keep her in sight while always making sure he was still undetected. Sure, he felt awkward, but he was determined to figure out what was going on. She wasn't heading anywhere towards her house, and the streetlamps would be on soon.

Noticing her slowing down, he stopped and hid himself against the nearest building wall, sneaking a glance at her as she made her way up the steps of an old blue house and went inside. Thinking quickly, he raced over to the same doorway and to his surprise, it was wide open and Helga was nowhere to be seen, so he stepped in.

Arnold heard a door on the second floor close with a small thud, and he started inspecting the hallway he was in. On the wall was a set of small mailbox doors, each with a small brass plaque with a number and name inscribed on it. On mailbox number eight, a small piece of paper with the name 'Pataki' written in pen was taped onto the plaque. He looked up even further above the mailboxes, and a small wooden sign saying "Oak Street Apartments" dangled crookedly on the wall. Down the hall he could hear a t.v. blaring and a couple arguing loudly, but no trace of Helga. Cautiously, he went up the stairs and stared down another hallway.

Out of nowhere, a gruff-looking older man appeared in front of one of the doors on the right, knocking on it forcefully.

"Pataki, your rent's three days late, where is it?" the man bellowed with an angry look across his face.

"Criminy Perkins, I don't get paid till tomorrow, you'll get it tomorrow!" Arnold could hear Helga's voice strain behind the door.

The man sighed with frustration and put a hand on his hip.

"Pataki I know the situation, and I've been trying to cut ya some slack, just...make sure you get the money under the door tomorrow, alright?"

The door suddenly flung open and a cross Helga stood in the doorway as she confronted the gravelly-voiced man.

"Perkins I know, ok, I can even show you my last paycheck, it says I get paid on Thursdays, you WILL get the rent tomorrow..." she explained in an exasperated snarl. She trailed off when both of them snapped their heads around to see Arnold standing at the top of the stairs. Helga's jaw dropped and the color drained from her face.

"Arnold?!" she yelped.

The man looked at her with one eyebrow raised up in a puzzled expression, then looked at Arnold. Pointing a finger at Helga, he grunted "Just make sure it's tomorrow Pataki." before stomping back down the staircase past Arnold.

Locking eyes with Helga, Arnold smiled sheepishly. "...Hey Helga."

"Arnold! What are you doing here?!" She exclaimed, gesturing wildly.

"Um..."He reached his hand behind his neck out of habit, and stared down at the floorboards. He hadn't thought this all the way through, especially what he would do if he actually found her.

"Wait, did you follow me here?" She stood up straight as her own question seemed to disturb her.

Flinching in surprise, Arnold was astonished to suddenly hear laughter filter through the empty hallway, and even more perplexed when he saw it was coming from Helga.

"Oh man Football Head, and I thought I was weird." She snickered.

Arnold regained his composure. "Is this where you live now Helga? Why aren't you at your house?"

Helga's face turned serious, and she eyed Arnold with concern.

"THIS is the last thing I wanted to deal with..." She muttered inaudibly. Arnold continued to stare at her, expecting a response.

"Arnold, "she finally asked aloud, "why are YOU here?"

"Because I want to know what's going on with you, this doesn't seem right. I'm your friend, and I want to help." He replied fiercely, his hands clenched. But his eyes twitched and he gulped a little too loudly.


	5. Hey Arnold - EC - The Apartment

***Author's note* So I forgot to mention, I like to edit and correct my writing like crazy. So I may keep updating the same chapter constantly but only a few words and phrases might be changed around. Mostly it's just trying to make sure everything ties together and makes sense.  
Also, I don't like to rush things, I prefer to build up tension with my stories. Just a warning. **

Helga stared at him and the chaos in her mind melted away. What did he just say?

"I...I mean I've always considered myself your friend, at least, I know we never talked much..." Arnold continued, his words spilling out. "...but I kinda missed...we've all missed you, and we never hang out anymore. I just want to talk with you, that's all."

"You...want to talk with...me?" Helga replied breathlessly.

She turned around and stood in the doorway of her apartment, then glanced back at him.

"You can come in if you want, Arnold." Stunned, she managed to get the words out somehow.

"Oh...um, sure. Thanks." He warily followed her inside.

* * *

Arnold followed Helga into the stark one bedroom apartment, still in shock from the surreal situation he realized he had gotten himself into. He closed the door behind him, and watched as Helga sat down in a defeated pose on the single bed by the window.

"I guess...a lot has kinda happened..." Helga said despondently.

Arnold sauntered over to the bed and carefully sat on the edge opposite her.

She reached over and rubbed her shoulder as she began to think back. God, I can't believe this is happening, she thought woefully.

"...Miriam's always been addicted to her painkillers, and most of the time, that's never really bothered me. I mean I wish she was a better mom, but obviously she's got her own problems, and I'm fine dealing with that." She quickly shot a look at Arnold, who was still sitting and listening patiently.

"And then there's Olga. She never really visits anymore, which is kind of a relief. She's got her marriage and her traveling and helping orphans and whatnot, so she's been out of my hair for the most part..." Pausing, she took a deep, yet shaky breath, and then continued. "And then...then there's Big Bob." Helga cringed at the words, and her hands held a death grip on the mattress.

Arnold noticed the sudden fear in Helga's eyes, and shifted towards her on the bed.

"Helga, it's ok. You can tell me." He tried to be reassuring.

Helga started faintly shaking, and closed her eyes as if in pain.

"He...one night, Bob was really mad at something from work. He was pacing around and drinking. I walked into the living room to get something. I can't remember what it was. But he asked me something, I couldn't understand him. And I guess I didn't answer him back fast enough...and...he...he hit me, right in the ribs..." She pulled her legs off the floor and brought them up to her chest. Tears slowly streamed down her face, but she struggled against them and tried to regain her composure in front of Arnold.

Mortified, Arnold could barely speak.

"Helga..." He uttered in a helpless voice.

"A couple of weeks later, I just told myself to get over it, you know, he was drunk, but then he got mad again, and we were arguing on the stairs...and...and he threw me down them. But that time, Miriam got punched too, really badly...".

A large weight felt lifted off her chest as she confessed to Arnold, and although the events were overwhelming to talk about out loud, it felt wonderful.  
I can't believe he's actually listening to me, she contemplated.

"Helga, I am so..sorry. I had no idea..." Arnold replied, placing a hand on her shoulder as he stared down at her,a forlorn look on his face.

"And...that's kind of how I got here. My shrink Dr. Bliss recommended I move out, and she gave a friend of hers a call, and he let me stay here. Yeah, I see a shrink now, kinda pathetic I know." Helga rolled her eyes as she spoke. "But I only have to pay a small part of the rent, which is nice, and I have a part time job, so I don't have to go back." As she finished, her voice became little more cheerful, and her tears dried up. Looking over at Arnold to gauge his reaction, her gaze fell on his hand that was still touching her.

Flushed with embarassment, Arnold quickly took his hand away.

"But...aren't you a little young to have your own place?" He asked, amazed that she had all of this responsibility thrust upon her already. People years ahead of them were usually dealing with this kind of thing.

"I'm fine, really. Phoebe stays over sometimes, her family invites me to dinner a lot, and sometimes I go eat with Perkins and his family. Dr. Bliss comes by too. And usually after school I'm over at work, that coffee place next to Mrs. Vitello's flower shop, so that keeps me pretty busy."Pausing, she smiled. "I do get a little free time, and I like to draw when I can, but lately I've been too busy for that."She leaned back in a relaxed manner as she remarked "It's kinda nice here, actually."

"What about all of your friends that never see you anymore?" Arnold argued.

Helga looked ahead of her, glaring. "What friends, Arnold?" She stated blankly.

"What do you mean "what friends" Helga? I'm talking about Stinky, Sid, Harold,Rhonda,Sheena, Nadine..."

"When was the last time you heard any of those guys say "Let's go hang out with Helga" or "Maybe Helga can come with us" or even "I wonder what Helga's doing?" bucko?" She snapped.

Arnold held back for a second. Realizing the truth in her words, he got an awful feeling in his gut.

"I...you know, they might've wanted to hang out with you if you didn't treat them like crap all the time!" He suddenly yelled, pushing aside his anxiety. "Myself included."

His boldness quickly left him however as he remembered the violent incidents she just admitted to him moments before, knowing that they were more than likely some of the reasons behind her behavior.

"Sorry..." He swiftly apologized, once again embarrassed.

Helga was caught by surprise by Arnold's outburst, and her eyes grew wide. "Well, Arnoldo, just so you know, they treated me like crap first." She said spitefully, glowering at him.

Her expressioned mellowed however, as she added "You were the only one who didn't...".

"What?" He cocked his head to the side, confused.

"It was a long time ago, you probably don't remember. The first day of preschool..." She drew in a sharp breath and chided herself. Oh great, another confession. I just keep piling them on the poor kid.

"I had to walk to school in the rain, and you held up your umbrella for me. And you gave me the first compliment I probably ever heard from anyone. But when I got inside..." She frowned. "They all laughed at me and called me names. I know I'm no stinkin' supermodel, but what they said still hurt, ya know."

She gave a shallow sigh. "So I felt like, fine, if that's the way it is, might as well treat them the way they treat me, if that's what it takes for them to leave me alone."

She slouched back forward on the mattress, guilt spread across her face. She cradled her head in her hands in shame.

"I know how I used to act was wrong...I really do...but, I can't change the past. I mean, what's an apology gonna do now? I've been invisible for years, all they used to do was tolerate me because I was just there, what's going to make them want be my friend at this point?" Helga explained gloomily.

Still processing the simple fact that Helga had acknowledged the main reason for her attitude towards her classmates, Arnold took a long reflective pause. So long, that Helga started to feel uncomfortable and assumed his silence meant that he thought there was no solution to her predicament.

"Well...maybe there's a way to start over again, you know, let them get to know a 'new' Helga, make a better impression on them." He finally offered.

"How?" Helga asked, ears pricked.

"For starters, you could sit with us at lunch. And by us, I mean Gerald and Phoebe and I."

"Tall hair boy? I thought he was allergic to me." Helga scoffed.

"He'll warm up to you, I promise Helga." Arnold smiled back.

The two sat on the bed, giggling at the thought of Gerald having to get used to Helga hanging about again. They both leaned back on their arms, and Helga started kicking her legs back and forth restlessly.

"Arnold..." Helga cautiously broke the tension. "Thanks for coming over. I'm sorry I yelled at you at the shop and for...everything else that's been going on..."

They both casually got up off the small bed, and Arnold was reminded again that they both were no longer little kids. He was now able to look Helga in the eye instead of having to look up at her, and noticed that he was even a little bit taller than her now. He couldn't help but smirk at the observation.

"It's ok, I can understand now why you've kinda kept to yourself. You can always come to me if you ever want to talk, about anything." He replied happily. "I'm just glad you actually talked to me at all, to be honest."

Helga stole a glace at him, and cracked an unsure smile.

"I guess I'll see ya at school then?" She asked timidly.

"Yeah, definitely. And don't forget, you're meeting us at lunch, ok?" Arnold chirped.

"O...ok."

They both walked to the door and Arnold pulled it open, stepping through the threshold. Just as he got into the hallway, he turned his head and muttered "Oh wait..hold on.."  
He dug into his pockets, retrieving a black pen. Flinching back, Helga grew wide-eyed as he grabbed her right hand and began writing on her palm.

"You can call or text me if you need anything, don't hesitate." After he finished putting his number on her hand, he capped his pen and then looked back at her, smiling again.

"Have a goodnight Helga."

"You too, Football Head." He finally shut the door, and she could hear his faint footsteps as he descended the staircase.

Alone at last, she sprung backwords with a flourish, landing on her bed with her arms stretched out wide and swooning loudly.

"Holy Moses! I can't believe that just happened!" Helga gasped.

"Arnold! After all these years, I tried to forget about you, to leave you in peace so in some way, so I could atone for all the sins I've committed against you! I thought you had forgotten about me, but no! You somehow remembered I was alive, stuck in this overwhelmingly lonely version of hell, and you actually want to be in my life, after all the torment I've caused you! Maybe you do have some feelings for me, in that still-unsually football-shaped head of yours!" She cried out, hugging herself in excitement. "I'm never washing this hand AGAIN!"  
She hadn't felt this happy in years.

Swooning again, quieter this time, and reached for the collar of her shirt, but her face dropped as her hand grasped at air, and she looked down to find that the one object, her golden locket of Arnold, was no longer around her neck. Helga cringed in sorrow as she remembered why it wasn't there.

Years ago, when she had thrown out and destroyed all of her Arnold related shrines and poetry, she had yanked the locket off and thrown it into her closet in a fit of rage and tears. It was that night that she had decided she wasn't going to bully and mistreat him anymore. If she really loved him, she decided, she was going to let him live his life with the hope it would be better without her.

Helga scolded herself. Criminy, that was a stupid idea. You couldn't even hold onto that little old thing, which was also a tad expensive...

Wait, it's still in that closet! Her mind lit up with a sudden idea. I could just sneak back there, climb in through the window, and grab it! No one would even know I was there, and I wouldn't even have to worry about running into Bob or Miriam!

Sitting up with a start, she glanced at her watch. 9:30. Perfect. Helga could count on Miriam already being in a hazy stupor and probably sleeping, and Big Bob would either be asleep in the recliner or too drunk and engaged with whatever was on t.v. to really notice anything. She'd be back in no time.

She got up off the mattress and pulled her sneakers on, grabbing her keys. Almost forgetting to take her jacket, she turned around, then quietly walked out the front door. Peering down the hallway and the staircase, she carefully scanned the lobby to make sure Arnold was long gone, and that is was otherwise unoccupied. Satisfied, she made her way down and out into the chilly evening.

* * *

Marching down the empty sidewalk, Helga slowed and eyed her old house. The pale light from the living room t.v. glowed through the small window facing the street, and her expression became bitter as she observed Big Bob sitting in the living room. With a scowl, she turned around and walked over to the tiny alley that sat between her house and the neighbor's, reaching up and heaving herself onto the old fire escape. As she made it to her bedroom window, the wind blew up the fire escape, tugging at her brown jacket. Helga shivered, and she felt the first few drops of rain touch down on her face.

"For Pete's sake, does it have to do this right now?" She stared up at the sky. With a flick of her finger, she used a bobby pin to jiggle the lock free, and silently climbed into her old room.

Guided by the moonlight that bathed the room, Helga could make out the shadow of her old bed, and the dresser in the corner. Nothing had really been changed, and it was still even a bit messy. Tip-toeing around the items scattered on the floor, she came to the closet door and timidly put her hand around the small brass knob. Testing it, the door barely made a squeak, so she proceeded to turn and pull the knob until the closet was fully open. She clicked on her small headlamp, and began searching for the locket on the floor. Reaching into a small faded shoebox, she felt the familiar touch of cold metal, and snatched it up to her face.

"Gotcha! Oh, how I've missed you, precious, expensive token of my love!" She whispered to herself gratefully. Crawling back out of the closet, she shoved the necklace down her pocket, then brushed off her pants and breathed a sigh of relief.

Without warning, the door to the room crashed open, and Helga fell backwards in horror.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, YOU TRAITOR!" Big Bob screamed, his face twisted in fury, and his eyes bloodshot as he stood in the entryway.

Scrambling, Helga tried to duck under him and escape down the stairs.

"Hooowww DARE you bring your STINKIN' carcass into Casa Pataki!" He slurred, wobbling around as she pushed past.

"Come back here!" Bob growled angrily, and he snagged her arm with one hand as she tried to descend the stairs.

"Let go!" Helga yelped. Seconds after struggling to free herself, a sweaty fist slammed into her right eye, and she flew back down the remaining steps towards the front door.

Shrieking in pain, Helga covered her eye with one hand and hastily grabbed the front door handle. Bob was trying to drunkenly navigate the stairs with no luck, yelling and shaking his fist at her.

"How DARE you!" He repeated, swinging around the banister clumsily.

In a hazy blur, Helga managed to open the door and make it out of the house, banging the door shut as she went. She ran off down the street as heavy rain splashed around her, and blew the cold night air into her face.


	6. Hey Arnold - EC - So-Called New Start

***Author's note: Worked on this for DAYS. Probably going to be a few spelling/grammatical errors somewhere.***

Helga dashed into the lobby of the apartment complex, soaked but finally out of the storm. Fighting to catch her breath, she leaned back on the rows of mailbox doors and closed her eyes.  
How could he have known I was up there? Helga's thoughts raced as she tried to figure out what went wrong with her plan.  
I didn't jump, I didn't knock anything over. How could that drunken moron hear anything?  
With her eye aching, she groaned and peeled herself off the wall.

"Looks like I get to wear makeup tomorrow." She remarked outloud to herself in an irritated, sarcastic tone.

Eventually she made it up the stairs and unlocked her door, the dark apartment greeting her with an eery silence.

Sighing, she threw her coat on the floor and went to the small bathroom on the left. When she flicked on the switch, her new black eye shined back at her, and she grimaced at her new face.  
"Criminy Bob..." She huffed, her voiced echoing against the tile walls. While patted a towl over herself, she washed her face and brushed her teeth, avoiding the area around her eye like the plague.

When she was done, she walked out to the small suitcase she kept by her bed, and got into her pajamas. Gazing at the rain pelting her window, she clenched the old golden locket she had put back around her neck. The familiar smooth metal of the frame was comforting, and she sighed in a peaceful manner. However, she twisted her mouth slightly, glancing down at the picture of Arnold's childhood face that stared back up at her.

"You were worth it. Right?" She asked it, her voice crestfallen.

Tucking it back under her nightshirt, she climbed into bed, curling up close to the wall.  
Sleep was not going to come easy tonight.

"Just let it be tomorrow already..." she whispered, smushing her face down into her pillow.

* * *

Arnold could hear Grandpa and Grandma talking in the kitchen as he made his way down the stairs for breakfast, and as usual Grandma's cooking wasn't apparently what Grandpa had in mind.

"Aw, Pookie! Who ever heard of a watermelon omlete?" Grandpa whined, staring down at the plate in disgust.

"Eat up, khemosabi!" Grandma replied, in her typical cheeful tone.

"Morning Grandma, morning Grandpa." Arnold smiled, and took his seat at the table as Grandma set a plate of the strange meal before him.

"This will give you the strength you need for today, Tex." She said as she bowed and wandered off.

"Thanks, Grandma." He tried to hide the disappointment in his voice.

"So, Shortman, what's on the agenda today?" Grandpa chimed in, warily poking his breakfast.

"Just school, Grandpa. But I am meeting up with an old friend today."

"Well that's great, Shortman! Nothing like getting together with your childhood pals. Who might that be?"

"You might remember her, Helga Pataki?"

"Is that the girl who always picked on ya and gave ya a hard time back when you were just a lad? The one with the one eyebrow?" He asked, worry creeping over his wrinkled head.

"Yeah that's her." Arnold said before he sipped his orange juice.

"Boy, Arnold..." Grandpa looked down at the table, and Grandma came back into the kitchen as his voice became nervous sounding.

"You know, lately, I've heard some not so good things about those Patakis..." He went on, glancing back at him as he set his fork back down.

"What's that?" Arnold met his gaze, and his mouth anxiously twitched.

"Well, I think that Big Bob drinks a lot, and he's always had that touchy temper...I can't help but think about your one eyebrow-having friend, is she doing ok? I mean, word gets around town, ya know..." He trailed off, scratching his head.

"You know Grandpa, to be honest, she's..."He hesistated for a few minutes, held back by the conversation he had the other day with Helga. "She's not doing that well, she doesn't get along with her parents, but I'm sure she's going to be ok. And I'm trying to help her out, Helga just needs someone to talk to, I think."

"That's great, Shortman, always good to hear you helping out your little friends." Grandpa replied, as Grandma came up behind him and set her hand on his shoulder. They both gave Arnold a warm smile.

"But just...don't bite off more than you can chew, alright Arnold? Sometimes, you gotta let people work some things out for themselves. We just want you to be careful, right Pookie?" He added, shooting a glance up at Grandma.

"May the Force be with you, young Skywalker." She replied, again bowing, her kimono hitting the floor.

"Pookie! He's not a spaceman! And you're not a geisha, either!" Grandpa bellyached, and they launched into another off-topic arguement.

"Guys, I gotta get to school, I'll see you later, ok?" Rushing, he grabbed his backpack and eyed the verbal melee with caution as he left out the door.

* * *

"Hey man." Gerald said casually as he and Arnold performed their secret thumb-wiggle handshake in front of the highschool.

"How's practice been going?" Arnold asked, and they both sat down on the front steps. Slowly, more and more kids began milling around, waiting for the first bell to ring.

"It's been good, coach is working us pretty hard though, but at least we're getting somewhere. Got that game coming up soon, so we can't get lazy." Gerald paused for a second, staring down at the stoop.  
"So, that thing with Helga...you ever figure it out?" He added, his voice becoming a little quieter.

Arnold grimaced, but sighed and took in a deep breath.

"Well...she's...got a lot of...stuff...going on..." His voice shook. Hunched over, he placed his hands over the edge of the stairs.

"It'st just a lot of things, I can't really tell you..." Arnold said curtly. "I'm sorry."

"Stuff? And "things"? C'mon Arnold, you're making less sense the more you talk. Why can't you tell me? Don't make me sick Fuzzy Slippers on you. " He jokingly threatened.

"Gerald, it's not exactly something that everyone needs to know, ok?"

"Who said everyone needs to know?"

"Gerald..." Arnold stared at him, his best "I'm not an idiot" face on full display.

"Ooooh alright, fine, don't tell me." He groaned, and slouched back onto the stoop.

Saved by the bell, Arnold smiled and got up.

"C'mon Gerald." He motioned, and Gerald got off the stoop, a crabby expression still on his face while the boys walked into the crowd of kids pouring into the school.

Arnold's classes flew by with incredible speed. However, the day came to a standstill as he sat in Biology and studied the test the teacher handed back to him. His test score was only a 75%, and he had thought he was familiar enough with the chapter material. Noticing that most of the wrong answers were mostly centered around the diagram on plant structures, he sighed in dismay. He wasn't sure why he couldn't remember what each structure was called or what their purpose was, and Arnold thought for sure he had studied them along with everything else. Putting the paper in his backpack, he decided to try and forget about it as the bell rang. Now he had an issue that made him much more jittery than getting a middle-of-the-road grade: eating lunch with Helga.

* * *

Helga stood in front of her locker, rummaging around, pretending to look for something. In reality, anxiety was getting the best of her, and her brain was fighting to think positively.

Stop fidgiting already, criminy! Just go to the cafeteria, you said you would! You've been waiting for something like this forever, what's your deal? Phoebe's gonna be there, calm down for 3 seconds!

Sighing, she took the edge of the locker door and shut it with a subdued swing of her arm. Putting her best scowl on, she meandered through the hallway past students idly standing by, while a nervous knot formed in her stomach. Closing in on the cafeteria, her scowl slowly dropped and was replaced by a fearful look. She peeked through the windows on the doors, spying Arnold, Gerald, and Phoebe sitting at one of the tables. She cringed, and she pivoted back against a row of lockers lining the outside of the cafeteria walls.

Helga pestered herself, trying to boost her own confidence.  
C'mon, you can do this. You can do this, old girl. Just act like nothing's out of the ordinary. It'll be fine.

Drawing in a deep breath, she pushed through the doors, striding at an easy pace along the soda machines, finally grabbing a tray and getting in the food line. To her relief, no one gave her more than a simple glance. Not even bothering to see the food she was getting, she tried getting a look at the table the trio was sitting at, still following the lumbering speed the lunch line was moving at. There were too many people blocking her view, so with her tray full she pushed past them in her usual irritated fashion and winded through the maze of chairs and tables. In a hurry, Helga didn't even notice as she walked right by Nadine and Rhonda staring at her with slacked-jawed expressions from their table.

"Oh...my...God..." Rhonda exclaimed in a loud, condenscending voice, causing kids sitting in nearby tables to snap their heads around and follow her as she made her way to Arnold's table.

Flinching at Rhonda's noisier than necessary statement, Helga's palms became sweaty, and she closed her eyes as she felt her cheeks blush and rage build up inside her at the same time. Quietly growling to herself, she kept walking, finally arriving at the table. Phoebe and Arnold smiled as she sat down, however Gerald's face was frozen in shock.

"Helga!?" He hollered, spurring a viscious glare from Helga.

"Gerald, Helga is joining us today, if you don't mind." Phoebe explained, giving him a firm glance. His face frowning in reluctant obedience, Gerald sat back in his chair.

"How are your classes today Helga?" Arnold piped up, trying to break the tension.

Shooting a wary look at him, Helga prodded at her food with a spork.

"They were...fine." She replied feebly.

"Just...fine?" Arnold answered, his eyes wincing.

"What was your last class?" Phoebe joined in.

Helga crossed her arms, slowly getting annoyed.

"English. I came from English class, Phoebe." Her words came out in a sharp tone.

"You...learn anything in English?" Gerald questioned with a mocking sneer, and leaned back as he rested his feet on the edge of the table.

Fed up, Helga slammed her fist on the table, knocking Gerald off balance.

"What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?" She snarled. Glancing over at Arnold, she groaned. "Criminy, this was a fantastic idea Football Head."

"We're just trying to start a conversation, Helga." He replied in a forlorn voice.

"Well, how about you back off a bit, huh?" She snapped.

Arnold gave her a pleading look, and she couldn't help but melt around the edges a little. Grudgingly, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders in submission.

"Fine. How about you guys talk then? My day's about as interesting as the gum stuck under Geraldo's shoes. "

Arnold perked up as Gerald examined the bottom of his feet with a confused expression.

"Well, Biology didn't go too well, I kinda messed up on a few test questions. What about you, Phoebe?"

"My day's been fairly exceptional. Calculus was pretty exciting, I got alls A's on my homework, even the extra credit!" She beamed.

"That's great!" Arnold grinned.

"I always say, you're a genuine whiz kid, Phoebe." Gerald added, shooting her a sly wink.

Phoebe blushed. "Thank you Gerald."

"Sheesh Phoebe, you'll be in college before any of us graduate from this dump." Helga remarked with a smile.

"Oh I don't think so Helga, I plan on going to college about the same time as everybody else. " She chuckled.

With that, the bell rang, and the crew got up and headed towards the trash cans with their trays.

Helga lagged behind Gerald and Phoebe, then noticed Arnold suddenly right by her side, looking distressed.

"Hey Helga, I don't mean to be rude but..I noticed it earlier..." He hesitated. "What happened to your eye?"

Her heartbeat quickened, and she stopped walking just as she was about to bump into a student in front of her.

Dangit, she thought. I gotta get my my money back on that liqiud foundation.  
Drawing in a shallow breath, she met his stare.

"I..." She began, but her mind was racing too fast to think straight. "My...locker...got stuck...and I was pulling and pulling it...and it opened and smacked me right in the face, alright Football Head?"

Arnold's concerned expression didn't fade, and panic flared up across Helga's face.

"Helga, I don't think that's what happened."

"Whaddya mean you don't think that's what happend? You weren't even THERE, bucko!" She retorted ferociously. It was a bluff of course. Inside her mind, she prayed he would fall for it.  
But as she looked at him again, it seemed not even a lie could extinguish the heartbreaking look in his eyes.

"Do you remember what I told you at your place?" Arnold asked quietly.

She squinted as she thought back, and her eyes flashed wide as she remembered back to their conversation. She could talk to him about anything. And it wasn't like he didn't already know about previous incidents. But this time, she just wasn't sure she wanted to tell him what happened exactly.

"Arnold...I really rather not talk about it...right now." Helga said, her shoulders drooped dejectedly as she emptied her lunch tray in the garbage and set it on the shelf above.

Right behind her, Arnold slid his tray onto the shelf.

"We don't have to talk about it now. We can talk about it later if you want." He replied, sounding hopeful.

Trying to keep up with her as she headed towards the exit, he quickly added "You can text me too."

Forcing a grin, Helga finally gave him an answer.  
"I gotta work after school, but we'll see. I'll talk to ya later, Arnoldo."

Arnold stopped in his tracks as she walked through the double doors, confused and worried as ever, but satisfied that she at least considered his offer. As he stood there, Phoebe and Gerald made their way to him.

"Everything ok, Arnold?" Gerald remarked, eyeing him carefully.

"Yeah... Yeah, I think so." He answered, still staring at the doors.


	7. Hey Arnold - EC - The Texting Begins

***Author's note* So I'm tired and this probably needs some editing for grammar or spelling, but that'll have to come later.  
One issue I've noticed...I appreciate the fact that people have suggestions for this story. I really do. However, I am not really one of those people who take requests and start writing the story the way other people tell me to. I have my own storyline in mind. I may consider the suggestions and maybe later I'll think about using them, however for now I'm just going to write the story the way I had in mind. Thank you. **

The last bell rang, and the deluge of kids erupting from classrooms filled the halls almost completely. Arnold and Gerald were somehow able to meet up amid the chaos, and managed to get out of the claustrophobic school, sitting on a bench by entrance.

They chatted about the usual sports and class hi jinks, but as Gerald started explaining a prank that Stinky and Sid had perpetrated on their French teacher, he noticed Arnold casually glancing at his phone from time to time. Ultimately, he stopped him just as he was describing the moment where the teacher found a wheel of Limburger cheese in her desk.

"Arnold, man, who are you talkin' to?"

"Oh...uh, sorry." Arnold mumbled, obviously distracted. Gerald sat his hands on his hips in a disapproving posture.

"No one."

Gerald raised an eyebrow. Arnold sighed with irritation as he put his phone back in his pocket.

"Just...Helga."

"I thought you told me she had to work after school?" Gerald asked, his voice skeptical.

"She does, I just... wanted to know how work was going, that's all. She'll probably get it after her shift."

"Arnold, you do realize what's happening, right?"

"What?"

"You're starting to LIKE like Helga, aren't you?"

Arnold snapped his head around, and his eyes opened as if he had gotten caught in a car's headlights.

"What are you talking about? I LIKE her, yeah. She's really not that bully we used to know growing up. And... I mean, I can't help but feel bad for her, for what she's gone through. Once you get to know her, she's actually really nice, not to mention funny..."

He paused, and the boys stared at each other in uncomfortable stillness.

"Oh." Arnold relented, his face turning pale.

"Yup." Gerald responded with a smug look.

* * *

"You know I won't tell anyone, but did you catch Rhonda and Nadine in the cafeteria? Rumors are gonna fly, Arnold." Gerald warned as they climbed the stairs to the boarding house.

"She just sat at our table, it's no big deal." Arnold replied, trying to brush the memory off as best he could.

" Do you realize no one's seen Helga in the cafeteria for almost all of high school? And the first thing she does when she comes in is sit at OUR table. Phoebe's been fighting off Rhonda's texts since one o'clock."

Opening the door, Arnold let out Abner and his herd of animals, the proceeded into the house. Gerald followed him, jumping out of Abner's way.

They were soon interrupted by Grandpa, Ernie, Mr. Hyunh, and Oskar sitting at the kitchen table, yelling at each other.

"I told ya Hyunh, Oskar's gotta extra card up his sleeve! I seen it with both my eyes!" Ernie shouted, both of his hands on the table as he stood up on his chair.

"Oskar! I see it! I see that card! Cheater! Why you cheat? Why can't you play game like normal people?!" Mr. Hyunh pointed his finger at Oskar, his face pinched in fury. Oskar flinched back, an impish, guilty grin spread across his lips.

"Alright, alright boys, c'mon now. Oskar, you don't have an extra card now, do ya?" Grandpa butted in, staring at Oskar with an innocent smile.

However, Oskar once again donned a sheepish smirk, and as he slunk low in his chair, three cards snuck out of his shirt sleeve and fluttered to the floor.

Grandpa's face fell. "Oskar! You sneaky rat! This is why you're not allowed to play on Go Fish night!" He roared, which caused Oskar to leap out of the chair and run out down the hallway.

Grandpa's head then swiveled over to see Gerald and Arnold stopped in their tracks, eyes wide while they watched the whole scenario unfold.

"Boys! Didn't hear ya come in. How's school treating ya?" He suddenly switched to a nicer tone, the anger gone from his face.

"Fine." Both boys replied monotonously.

"That's wonderful. Don't forget Arnold, dinner's at seven. That is, if your Grandma didn't make watermelon again." He said in a doubtful voice.

"Ok Grandpa. Gerald and I have to go study, we'll see you at dinner."

"Sounds good, Shortman." Grandpa then turned his attention back towards the cards on the table. Grabbing the stack, he began to shuffle.

"Ok boys, the game is seven card stud..." He announced with a sly wink.

"But we just played Go Fish? I like Go Fish!" Mr. Hyunh groaned.

"Oh quit your whining, the game's seven card stud, I decided that's what we're gonna play, and that's that." Grandpa answered firmly, and quickly started dealing cards.

* * *

Entering the room, Arnold found his remote and turned on the lights, as well as flipping the red couch out of its hiding place.

The two then sat down on the floor in the middle of the room, taking notebooks and textbooks out of their bags.

"So, what do you want to start off with? Biology? Or History?" Gerald asked.

"History. I don't think I could stomach more Biology today." Arnold rolled in eyes in disgust.

"Ok then." Gerald shrugged casually.

Hours passed as they exchanged notes and sat thumbing through several books. The boys took a break a few hours in to eat dinner with Grandpa, and then took dessert up with them. They were both snacking on tapioca pudding when without warning, Arnold's phone vibrated as it lay in his pocket.

Gerald wiped some pudding off his chin as Arnold stared at the phone.  
"Lemme guess. Helga, right?"

Arnold blushed and pretended he didn't hear him. Clicking on the message, he felt his heartbeat suddenly rocket up. Gerald was right.

_"So Football Head, you wanted me to msg you after work, right?"_

His fingers flew as he eagerly began typing.

"_Yeah! How was work?_"A few seconds after he sent it, the phone buzzed again.

"_Nothing special. What r u up to?_"Arnold's face lit up. She was opening up again, which was good, he considered, since their last talk had ended on a somewhat sour note.

"_Just studying with Gerald. Do you need any help with your classes? You could come study with us._"

He didn't notice Gerald leaning right next to him as he pressed the send button.

"Arnold! What are you DOING!? Asking Helga to study with us!?" He raved while Arnold turned his head around to watch him.

"Why can't she come study with us?" Arnold retorted.

"Because Arnold, she's Helga! She..." Gerald hesitated while he searched for a believable reason.

Arnold frowned back at him.  
"Gerald, I know you two don't get along, but could you just try? Please?" He begged.

Gerald rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, but eventually gave up.  
"Ok Arnold. I'll try, just for you. But don't expect any miracles."

Arnold's phone lit up, and he checked the messages once again.

"_That's ok, I kinda like studying at home tho_."

His face sank.  
"Well, maybe you won't have to try, tonight at least. "

"She's not coming over?" Gerald raised an eyebrow.

"Guess not." He stared at the phone, then put it back down on the floor with a heavy sigh.

While Arnold wasn't looking, Gerald brushed his forehead in relief, then looked at his phone.

"Gettin' kinda late for her to be coming over to study, if you think about it. Speakin' of gettin' late, you mind if i stay and sleep on the couch tonight, buddy?"

"Sure. " Arnold replied, yawning afterwords. He closed the textbook he was holding and got up off the floor.

"You going to bed?" Gerald asked, getting concerned. "I know I said it's getting late, but it's not that late."

"Eh." Grunting and waving a dismissive hand, Arnold lazily plopped onto his bed.

"I'm not really tired, but I think I'm just gonna listen to some music for a while. I can't concentrate on studying anymore." He murmured, a dreary expression painting his face.

Gerald 's bro furrowed, but he kept his tongue. "Alright man. I'll see you in the morning, I guess." He went back to taking notes, but kept an eye on Arnold as his friend placed a pair of oversized earphones over his head.

Arnold rolled over on his back as he focused on the slow rhythm of an acoustic guitar as it glided through his ears. Taking in a deep breath and exhaling to the leisurely beat of the drums that joined the guitar, he reached a hand over and glanced at his phone one more time. Surprised, he saw a message blinking, one he must have missed. He held the phone close to him as he pressed the button.

"_But maybe could stop by my place, if you want. I have tons of Geography homework._"

He smiled uncontrollably, and immediately started texting a response.

"_That sounds like a great idea! What time?_"

Arnold stealthily spied back on Gerald, but noticed he was still preoccupied with his notes.

"_6 pm sharp. Don't forget to bring some food. Pretzels or something else, but it better be good_."

He was amazed at how she went from outgoing to cranky in the blink of an eye.  
Puzzled, he just shook his head. Maybe she was still trying to adjust to being around him and Gerald after so many years.

"_Ok, I'll try to remember. See ya Thursday. Have a good night Helga_."

Sinking back into the mattress, he placed the phone back on his shelf. He had all of tomorrow to wonder how he was going bring up Helga's eye, and maybe even attempt to get her to act friendlier towards Gerald and the rest of their classmates. If anything, at least I'd get some help with Biology, he thought, his mind drifting into a dreamy haze. The last notes of the guitar gently faded away as the song ended, so he removed the headphones, and within minutes fell into a deep sleep.


	8. Hey Arnold - EC - Courtyard Conversation

***Authors note* Oh boy, sorry for not taking a look at this chapter before I posted, giant blocks of text...no editing at all, sheesh.*  
**

Wednesday morning dragged on almost unbearably, and Arnold ended up peering out of classroom windows for most of the afternoon, unable to focus. In Biology, he barely took notice of the pop quiz Mr. Hawkins laid out on everyone's desks as he strode up and down the rows of seats.  
He didn't come to until he realized the entire classroom was quiet while everyone worked on the quiz. Nervous, he picked up his pencil and began scanning the questions. The first few questions were easy enough, but towards the end, his face creased in frustration as he once again found himself scrambling for answers. Finished, he groaned as Mr. Hawkins came back to pick them up, knowing for sure he lost more than a few points on the quiz.  
The bell couldn't have rung sooner. Lunch finally arrived, and Arnold hurried out of the room in anticipation. But as he ran down the hall, pushing past his peers, and entered the cafeteria, he noticed only Gerald and Phoebe sitting at their usual table. Reaching the table, he quickly dropped into the chair.

Gerald looked up from his sandwich. "Hey Arnold. What's up, buddy?" He asked, casually taking a large bite.

"I'm fine." He replied, however his eyes anxiously began searching around the room, and he turned his head towards the lunch line.

"Aren't you going to get your lunch, Arnold?" Phoebe tried to get his attention. "I was gonna wait for Helga." He answered, whisking his head in all directions, scouring the room for her.

Ten minutes passed in an awkward lull as Gerald and Phoebe continued to eat while Arnold waited. He tapped his foot anxiously, then swiftly got up and pushed his chair in. His friends watched with concern as his face turned sour. "That's it." He muttered in disgruntled voice. Marching out the of cafeteria, he noticed most of the kids were staring at him, with Rhonda and Nadine watching him through half-lidded eyes. As he walked past, he pretended not to see them, but couldn't help but observe Rhonda whispering into Nadine's ear. Glaring, he pushed through the double doors and started looking for Helga in the mostly empty corridor. Eventually he spotted her, armed crossed and leaning against a wall by a water fountain. She had her headphones on, but her eyes were transfixed on the fountain, even though no one was drinking from it. Arnold's glare faded, and he gently tapped her on the shoulder as he got close to her.

"Criminy!" Helga shrieked, ripping her headphones off as she whirled around. Startled, Arnold backed away , his hands automatically raising up in a defensive posture. As soon as she noticed him her shoulders relaxed, but she was still leering at him with hostility.

"Sheesh Football Head, great job scaring me half to death!" She barked. "Sorry Helga." He replied, slouching down and touching the back of his head. However, he quickly remembered the task at hand and stood up straight.

"Why aren't you in the cafeteria with us?" He demanded, giving her a serious stare. Helga averted her eyes, and her scowl disappeared.

"Arnold…it's just too weird being back in there. I'm not a huge fan of people staring at me. But at least I can say I tried."

"Helga, that was nothing! You know Rhonda, she's just a drama queen."

"No, Arnold, I could care less about Rhonda, I meant the whole cafeteria. There was a thousand eyes on the back of my neck, I know it. That was a nightmare."

Arnold's face turned grim as he stood in front of her. Looking down, he saw her backpack laying on the floor, so he picked it up.

"C'mon, it won't be that bad this time. How are you ever going to make a new impression if you stop trying after the first go around?"

He lifted the bag and started turning towards the lunchroom, however Helga grabbed his shoulder, causing him to nearly double over backwards.

"Helga!" he gasped as he regained his balance. She stepped up next to him and leaned in towards his ear.

"Arnold , please, I really, really, REALLY, don't want to go back in there. Not today at least. Ok?"Helga implored in a hoarse voice, her face dropped in such despair that it caught him off guard. Arnold's mouth twitched in worry, and a heavy feeling enveloped his chest. He stood back and sighed in disappointment.

"Ok…fine." He replied in a dismal tone. He placed the strap of the bag into her free hand, and she swung the rest of the bag onto her shoulder with a pleased smile.

"Thanks, Football Head."

"So, what are you going to do for lunch then? If you're not going to eat with us?" Arnold questioned her as the two started strolling down the hallway.

"Well, most of the time I go to the courtyard, eat, just do whatever…"

"By yourself?"

"Yeah…you should know by now Arnoldo, crowds are not my thing." She replied in a somewhat annoyed tone.

"B…but you can go back and eat with Tall Hair Boy and Pheebs if you want, I don't care."

He mulled it over for a second.

"Nah, that's alright, they can eat without me for a day." He suddenly stared down at the floor tiles.

"I don't mind coming with you…if that's ok, with you, of course." Arnold added, a sheepish expression on his face.

"Yeah…yeah sure, that's ok." Helga's voice shook as they continued to walk.

Finally, they reached the door to the courtyard, and entered into the sunlight. A few trees provided a bit of shade, but the contrast from being indoors was enough to make them both squint. Helga made her way to a small picnic table in the middle of the yard, and took a seat while Arnold was still dazzled by the sun's rays. He soon joined her and sat up on the table itself, resting his legs on the weathered wooden boards.  
While he sat there, she pulled out a large drawing pad and a black pouch out of her backpack and laid them out in front of her. Unzipping the pouch, she began to carefully lay out her graphite pencils. Content with the arrangement, she picked up a pencil and brought it to the blank paper. Just as she was about to let loose the first lines, Arnold piped up, spooking her.

"What are you gonna draw?"

The grainy lead of the pencil dug hard into the sheet as Helga's concentration broke apart. Cocking her head up at him, she met his easygoing gaze, then smirked. "Whatever I want, doi!" With a wry smile she stuck her tongue out, then proceeded with sketching the long crackling lines of the old pine tree a few yards behind him. Rolling his eyes playfully, he sat his hands back and leaned against the table, soaking up the sun.  
Apart from the distant murmur of students and birdsong that occasionally echoed off the brick walls, they were alone, a fact Helga could not ignore. Glancing up from the drawing, her face melted into a goofy grin as she noticed him sitting with his eyes closed. His hair shimmered like golden wheat in the sun, and he appeared as though he was a serene angel, basking in the glow of his own ethereal light…

"I can see why you'd wanna eat here Helga, it's so peaceful and quiet." Arnold observed, interrupting her dreamlike state.

She shook her head to clear the sentimental dialogue running through her mind. "Yeah, it's pretty nice…" She mumbled, looking away from him.

They both stared down at Arnold's pant's pocket as the vibration from his phone filled the air, and he pulled it out to check it.

"Gerald…" He exhaled loudly, sounding exasperated.

Seeing Arnold busy with his phone, Helga scrounged around in her book bag and found a green apple, biting into it after she rubbed it on her shirt.

"Lemme guess…Hair Boy needs you…" She said in a mocking tone in between bites.

"No…he's just being a poor sport." He replied, shoving the phone back into his pocket.

"Huh…" She scoffed back. After finishing the apple, she tossed the core into the nearby garbage, and continued to work on her sketch.

"How's the drawing going?" His voice perked up, and he leaned over her, casting a shadow on the drawing pad.

"Fine, until you blocked my view, Arnoldo." She glanced up at him with one eyebrow pricked up.

"Oh, whoops, sorry Helga." Quickly apologizing, he scooted back on the table. They sat in silence again for a few moments as he watched her fill in the tree sketch with shading and delicately detailed lines.

"So…about tomorrow… "Arnold started, holding his neck with his left hand.

Helga's eyes shot up at him with a nervous jolt. "What about tomorrow?"

"I was thinking…after we help each other with homework, could I see more of your art? It's really good." He said, offering a hopeful smile.

"Yeah, sure, sure." For some reason, her nerves got the best of her and all she could supply was a cold, emotionless answer as she narrowed her eyes at the sketch pad.  
Arnold responded with a dismal look, then glanced down at his watch.  
"Well, it's getting kinda close to the bell, I need to head to my locker…what's your…uh…plan?"

"I have Art after this, down in 104..."She replied, adding in a hushed whisper to herself, "let me just finish this…". With a small scribble, she signed her signature at the bottom of the paper. Popping up off the bench, she gathered her drawing supplies back into her bag. Helga then stopped and looked back up at Arnold as if she forgot something.

"Thanks for…um…coming with me, Football Head. I really appreciate it."

Arnold's stomach growled in response.  
"Aww man." He let out a disbelieving chuckle and stared up at the sky. "I totally forgot about eating."

"Well it is called "lunch" for a reason, doi, Arnoldo." Helga commented in a snarky manner.

"Here." She reached into the bag and brought up a bag of chips, holding it out to him.

"Really? I can have it?" Helga Pataki sharing any of her possessions was unheard of.

"Yes, really. I ain't feedin' it to the birds, Football Head."

He smiled as he saw her simpering at him, and graciously took the chips from her hand.

"Thanks Helga!" Arnold beamed, and immediately opened them. He shoved a few into his mouth, crunching noisily.

"Geez, take it easy there, Jaws." She snickered, then swiveled around, walking off towards another exit door on the other side of the yard. Out of the blue she stopped and spun back around again, her sneer replaced with a far away look in her eyes.

"Hey, uh, don't forget, tomorrow, 6pm sharp, my place, don't be late. You're still coming…right?" She remarked, her voice unusually helpless sounding.

"Oh yeah, don't worry, 6 o'clock, I'll be there." Arnold aimed his pointer fingers at her lightheartedly.

"See ya, Helga!"He shouted as he jogged out the other exit door.

She took a last glimpse of him as she went back towards the side door on the opposite wall, her silly lovesick grin plastered on her face once again.


End file.
